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There are fresh problems for Act leader Rodney Hide, with
reports a member of his own party plans to contest his nomination
for the seat of Epsom.

Newstalk ZB reported Peter Tashkoff, who is number seven on
Act's party list, would contest the nomination after Hide's
handling of the dumping of Act deputy, Heather Roy, last week.

Tashkoff said he had no faith in Hide, and was disgusted with
how he had handled the Roy saga.

He said Hide was a failure as a leader and a liability to the
party.

The revelation comes after Hide signalled earlier today that Roy
would find it extremely difficult to stay on as an MP, despite
saying last week that she would be welcomed back into the
caucus.

Roy was voted out of her deputy leadership role last week and
replaced by John Boscawen. She also resigned from her roles as
Associate Defence Minister and Consumer Affairs Minister.

Today, Hide was questioning whether his former deputy would be
able to cope.

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"Heather is on leave and she needs to be thinking through her
options. I think the difficulty that she has got is she has put
herself into a position where there are a lot of tough questions to
be asked," Hide said today.

Confidential notes prepared by Roy for a caucus meeting were
leaked to media last week, revealing tension between her and
Hide.

Hide also said today he had already been talking to Roy's potential
replacement - Dunedin businesswoman Hilary Calvert, who had
travelled to Wellington and will meet with party bosses.

"I have spoken with the Act Party to the extent of them having
an understanding that if there was an opportunity there I would
step up," Calvert told ONE News.

It was understood that Roy may be also losing her only supporter
in caucus, Sir Roger Douglas.

That was despite Douglas saying last week that Roy would pick up
some responsibilities, including taking his place sitting on the
education committee, on her return.

"I think it's fair to say Roger is upset with (the confidential
notes) being leaked," Hide said when questioned over Douglas'
support of Roy.

"Sad and pathetic saga"

Hide tonight said the whole Roy saga had been "a sad and in many
ways a pathetic saga".

In a speech to the Rotary Club in his Epsom electorate he said,
"I am saddened by what has happened to Heather Roy, in particular
by the leaking of material, much of it malicious and designed to
cause maximum harm to the party."

He said he had not given much background last week about the
change of deputy leader partly because was "giving Heather the
chance to put this behind us, and move on as a team".

He said the next day Roy agreed to accept that olive branch, and
they gave two joint interviews.

"But during that day we discovered that the document which, in
part, had been the basis of her case for retaining the deputy
leadership, had been leaked to the media and some bloggers.

"Cameron Slater of the Whaleoil blog identified the source of
these documents, showing that they came from Heather's ministerial
advisor, who by the weekend had admitted leaking them.

"It is a sad and in many ways a pathetic saga."

Hide said various commentators have "dusted off their old
commentaries, and decided for the 15th year running that ACT is
finished".

He said it was not the end for the Act party, because it was
"based on ideals and values".